


Stowaway

by Sephone_North



Series: Book 1: Judged [11]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula is a bad influence on her, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Hakoda needs a strong drink, No Beta: We die like mne, Story time with Yue!, Yue learns rebellion, zuko and yue are dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25649911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephone_North/pseuds/Sephone_North
Summary: The number of royalty on this ship has gone up by one (1). Hakoda should know better by now. Yue will do anything to protect her people, and that includes rebellion.
Relationships: Azula & Hakoda, Azula & Zuko & Yue, Yue & Hakoda, Zuko & Hakoda
Series: Book 1: Judged [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844545
Comments: 114
Kudos: 1200





	Stowaway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MuffinLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/gifts).



> Inspired by Muffinlance. 
> 
> Ya'll are hilarious. I'm going to go back to answer the reviews on Departure, but the amount of screaming about Stowaway!Yue was great to read. Yes, Yue discovered rebellion, and we can blame Azula, but that really isn't fair. We all know it's Zuko who can't obey authority. 
> 
> I'll be honest, I wish I'd thought of stealing the fish. But no, the fish stay at home. More thoughts about that in the notes after.
> 
> EDIT: Some of this chapter is edited, due to the fact that I made a mistake regarding to oral history and spirit tales. I did change it to better reflect the cultural importance of storytelling. I apologize for the mistake. Thanks to XandraRis for letting me know!
> 
> I also added my tumblr link to my profile. But you can find me at Mama-Bear-Texas. Drop in if you get a moment! Ask box is always open.

The cargo bay was dark, but it didn’t bother her. She was comfortable, nestled in some furs. She wasn’t very bored, meditating along with the waves as the boat rocked in the water. It was nice. She wasn’t alone all the time. They did come visit her as much as possible, without acting suspicious. 

The hatch to the bay opened, and she leaned out slightly. She ducked back the moment when she realized that the person climbing down was too big. She stiffened as she heard footsteps coming closer. Her little hollow suddenly brightened, and she looked up sheepishly in Runalok’s exasperated face. 

“And I thought Azula was bad,” He grumbled “Come on, Princess. Time to see the chief.” 

Yue bowed her head and slowly followed him out of the cargo bay. 

\---

Chief Hakoda was just sitting behind his desk, head in his hands. He hadn’t said anything for the last ten minutes. The three children were shifting uncomfortably, glancing at each other concerned. 

Bato was not doing a great job of concealing his amusement behind the chief. He seemed to think this was hilarious. 

Yue bit her lip. She knew that this was the right thing to do. Her people would’ve suffered if she didn’t go south. She didn’t know where in the south she was supposed to go, Tui hadn’t mentioned. All she was told was that she had to leave the North Pole. So she did. 

Azula had immediately agreed to help her stowaway on the ship. The other princess had wanted to just stick it to the Northern Water Tribe Council, Yue knew. No matter her reason, she was still willing to help. So together, they made a little nest in the cargo bay. Azula had to bring Zuko in on it, and he was on board before she finished explaining why. 

They had snuck her on through a porthole, which was terrifying for her. Zuko had hoisted her up and held her as Azula helped her climb in. Once she had climbed into what was the infirmary, Zuko had scrambled in behind her. From there, they were able to sneak her down to the cargo bay. They had to set up a schedule to drop off food and keep her company, so no one would notice them missing.

“Do you understand what this could mean for us?” Hakoda finally asked, dropping his hands finally. “This could start a war, another on top of the one we’re already fighting.” 

“Yes sir, I know,” Yue said quietly. “But I had to.” She closed her eyes. “Tui was going to remove her protection if I didn’t go!” She breathed out. “I’m sorry.” 

Hakoda shook his head. “Last year, I would not believe that the spirits would actually do anything.” He glanced at all of them. “However, I understand your concern. But Princess Yue-” 

“I know, I know!” She protested, stepping forwards. “But I can’t let my people die because of my father’s and council’s stupid pride.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I just couldn’t.” 

There was silence. Zuko reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Tell him what you told us, Yue,” He said quietly. 

She nodded. “Tui and La have their physical forms in the Spirit Oasis, though I don’t know where. They keep a barrier up between the spirit wilds of the North Pole and our city. If I didn’t go,” She sobbed. “Tui would drop the barrier. It’d release uncountable spirits into the city and they’d kill them all.” 

Hakoda stared at her, eyes wide. He let out a breath. “If that’s true, then you made the right choice,” He said quietly. “But when your father sends warriors to come after us-” 

“I don’t think he can,” Azula threw in. Everyone turned to her. She shrugged. “Tui and Agni are siblings, in the stories, correct? But Tui and La-” 

“Are married,” Yue finished, realizing what she was saying. “If Tui doesn’t want them coming after us, than-” 

“The ships won’t be able leave the North Pole,” Zuko said, eyes wide. “They won’t be able to catch up with us!” 

She grinned at the two Fire Nation siblings. Hakoda sighed from his desk and buried his face in his hands again. Yue, at least, had the decency to look sheepish. She’d never done something so rebellious before. 

Finally, he looked up. “Fine. I will have to send a message to your father the moment we make landfall.” He shook his head. “I want to make sure he knows that you were not kidnapped.” 

“Yes sir, thank you,” Yue said with a nod. 

“And I understand you’re a princess, but you will work on my ship.” He said firmly. “It will be the same rules as Azula, do you understand?” 

‘Yes, sir,” Yue nodded emphatically. She paused. “I don’t know how to work though?” 

“Don’t worry, Moongirl,” Azula said with a sly smile, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll teach you.” 

She couldn’t help feeling trepidation. She glanced at the men, but no one helped her as the other princess led her out of the cabin. 

\---

THat night, Hakoda stopped her and Azula’s combat training to speak to them. Azula had decided the moment she agreed to help Yue get on the ship, that the princess had to take some form of combat. Yue wasn't comfortable using any weapon other than a knife, so they were practicing hand to hand. 

“So, we’re rearranging sleeping quarters,” He said, when both girls turned to him. “We’ve been having you and Zuko sleep in the infirmary. We’re moving Yue into the room with you, and having Zuko sleep in the bunk room with the men.” Yue just nodded, but when she glanced over, she saw Azula nibbling her lip in apparent anxiety. Hakoda noticed. “Azula, I know that’s not comfortable for you. Which is why Zuko agreed that the eggs will stay in your room.” 

“The eggs?” Yue asked. She glanced at her. “You have food in your room.” 

The fire princess snorted. “No, come on, I’ll show you!” She grabbed Yue’s arm and started dragging her to the deck below. Hakoda watched them leave and smiled when Yue looked back at him in concern. He waved her off and went back to the wheelhouse. 

Azula busted into the infirmary, making Zuko jump. His bag was half packed, but he was reading a scroll. He blinked at her and carefully started to roll the scroll up. “What are you doing?” He asked, though his cheeks were dusted pink. 

“Showing Yue the eggs.” Azula let her go and cautiously picked up a covered basket. She removed the lids and Yue gaped at the two oval eggs nestled in the cloth. Azula grinned. “THey’re dragons,” She said proudly.

“You may touch the black one,” Zuko added, pointing. He smiled. “That’s Druk,” Yue smiled as she placed her fingertips on the black egg. She gasped at the warmth in it. 

“That’s still the stupidest name I’ve ever heard,” Azula rolled her eyes. Yue glanced up at her and the other princess whispered like she was sharing a secret. “It means “Dragon” in the Sun Warrior language.” 

“Oh, and your name is better?” Zuko shot back. 

“Yes, it is.” Azula replied haughtily. “And I’m not telling you it. You can wait.” 

Yue just settled back to listen to them bicker, as she ran a finger along the egg. “Did you know there was a water dragon?” She asked, interrupting them. THey both turned to look at her.

“Really?” Zuko asked, eyes wide. 

She nodded. “It was never called a dragon, though. It was always called the Nimigiak, the serpent. He fell in love with the moon. However, Tui was already married to La. Nimigiak did not care. He was wicked at heart, and only wanted what he wanted.” She glanced up, and blushed as she realized the two siblings were leaning in, eyes wide. Azula had picked up her own egg and was cradling it in her lap. 

“What happened?” Zuko asked breathlessly. 

Yue smiled at him. “Every night, Nimigiak would extend his body as high as it would go and call to Tui. Some nights he got her attention, when her light was fullest. But other nights, she would turn her face away from him in shame. This continued, until one day, La went to visit his wife. It was a full moon, and Tui was listening to Nimigiak’s constant flattery. La was enraged.” 

“Well of course,” Azula said with a scoff. “That’s his wife. Wives are meant to be faithful and loyal.” 

“Exactly,” Yue said. “But La knew it was not only her fault. Everyone knew that they were married, including Nimigiak. And Nimigiak did not ask to join their tent as was proper.” 

“Wait, what?” Zuko blinked. “Join their tent?” 

Yue nodded. “It’s an old practice, and one that’s gone out of use, but members of the tribe can ‘share tents’. Basically, it’s opening their homes and marriages to other members. It can be a temporary arrangement, usually for a winter, or it can be a permanent decision and the family grows.” She shrugs. “Nimigiak could’ve asked, but instead, he wanted to steal Tui away from La and keep her for himself. That is wrong.” 

“So what did La do?” 

“He grabbed Nimigiak and dragged him beneath the water. Nimigiak writhed in panic, which created great waves within the water, shatting glaciers and creating the icebergs that surround the North Pole. La brought him to the deepest parts of the ocean, a great trench where even the sun’s light could not reach. THere, he locked Nimigiak there, where he can never see the Moon’s face ever again.” Yue took a deep breath after the story. 

“That was amazing!” Zuko said excitedly. “Where did you learn that? Does the North have theater scrolls?” 

“I don’t know what a theater scroll is,” Yue said, with a shake of her head. “But we have storytellers. We don't write the stories down. We don’t have a lot of paper, and the animal skin scrolls like Master Yugoda gave you don't last for very long. So, we tell our stories and they pass down the generations.” 

Zuko blinked and looked around. He paused and glanced over. “If I buy paper and ink at the next port, could I write your stories down?” He asked. “Or would that be considered rude?” 

Yue tilted her head. “I don’t know. I’m unsure if anyone has ever done it before, but why?” 

“Because it’s interesting!” He exclaimed. “Like the story about the Hunter and the Moon. I just don’t want to forget them and writing them down makes it easier to share.” He shrugged. 

Yue blinked and looked down. She thought for a moment and nodded. “I think that would be interesting, but I don't know." She shrugged. "It would be something I have to ask the elders about. There had to be a reason we have never done it. And I know that some stories have to be told at certain times, or else it insults the spirits or invites other spirits in. Maybe that's why?" She mused. 

He nodded. “That's a good point. Maybe if we make to to the South Pole, we can ask their elders why." 

Yue clapped in excitement, "Oh! And we can learn their stories too! They may even be different!" 

“You’re both dorks,” Azula declared, rolling her eyes. 

\---

Yue watched Azula leap onto the mast and scramble up into the rigging. She blinked and looked over at Bato. “I don’t have to do that, do I?”

The man sighed. “Azula doesn’t have to do that,” He explained, exasperated. “She thinks it’s fun.” 

“Ah,” Yue nodded. She looked around her. They were on a river, headed south, forests lining the shore. It was the most green she’d ever seen in her life and she couldn’t help but stare at it sometimes. 

She’d been on the ship for about two weeks and it was the most fun she’d ever had in her life. She felt free in a way she’d never experienced. Sometimes, there was guilt when she thought of her father, but she would just remember Tui’s threats. She did the right thing. 

It was also the most tiring time as well. Azula woke up with the sun, and she didn’t let Yue sleep in. They would join Zuko on the deck, where they expounded on how to properly meditate. They meditated with lanterns, while she breathed in time with the waves slapping the boat. Then there was training until the shift changed, and they helped with holystoning the ship deck. 

After swapping the deck, there was more combat training. Zuko suffered through having his fire bending forms corrected by Azula. It was obvious that she was the better firebender, though Yue could see that Zuko was improving. Then he practiced his swords with a crew member, while Azula ran Yue through hand-to-hand and dagger training. She was getting better. 

She was also learning how to throw knives as well, but that was a before bed activity. Azula and her would lay on their furs, giggling adn throwing knives at a target they’d put up on the wall. Yue was getting better, but it was one of her favorite times, just because it was fun. 

After training, they’d eat, and go and study with Hakoda. Yue wasn’t the best with maps, but ocean currents made sense to her. She could point out how the ocean would move on a normal map and it would line up perfectly to the current map. Zuko tested her a few times. She was also useful on the deck, because she instinctively knew how deep the water was. She’d saved them from running aground on a hidden sandbar already. 

She didn’t have a head for numbers like Zuko, but budgets were a torture to her. She’d started learning the Fire Nation high court as well, by Zuko’s suggestion. He had shrugged and said that all Fire Nation nobles knew it, and it could come in handy. Bato and Hakoda joined them for those lessons. 

“Princess,” Bato called, jerking her from her thoughts. “Do you mind grabbing me a map from the Chief’s room? I have a feeling something isn’t matching up. He’ll know which one.” Yue nodded and climbed out of the wheelhouse to head to the door. 

She screamed as an arrow bloomed from the wood, right beside her head. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so there's a quick cliffhanger for you. I also fudge some geography, because I decided that this part was going to happen, and nothing was going to stop it. More about that next installment. 
> 
> About the spirits: I don't think anyone knew that Tui and La were the fish. If so, why did Aang need to speak to Koh The Face-Stealer? I think people just assumed that the fish were regular spirits, not a physical from of two Great Spirits. So Yue did not steal them. 
> 
> The way that I'm writing this story is that though the Spirits have influence over the natural world, they can't interfere completely without a conduit. So, La needed the Avatar to destroy the ships because even though he had a physical form, he couldn't exert enough power on the natural world without a natural connection, i.e. a dumb airbender. TO materialize, they have to be in a place of spiritual power that is sacred to them. That's also why Nuwa needed them to enter into the Swamp to speak to them, instead of going to them. 
> 
> The thing about Chosen though, is they can act as that conduit if the spirit's needs are great enough. And they don't need the location to hear the spirits speak. They do need to be unconscious, but it's not like that's hard, (Glances at the list of Zuko's canon head injuries.) It's all about who you choose.


End file.
